RAIL chiefs have been praised for finally investing an estimated £150,000 and introducing warning lights at a level crossing in rural Radnorshire after safety concerns spanning three decades.

Network Rail has installed a miniature warning lights system on the Heart of Wales Line on a level crossing at the Heart of Wales Riding School, in the village of Dolau, near Llandrindod Wells.

It is believed the rail giant has spent £150,000 on the project, which has been deemed a considerable investment by locals, on a busy crossing that had no previous safety equipment deployed.

The lights, which were installed in mid-February and opened at the end of March, are believed to be the first such set to be installed on the Heart of Wales Line, which services much of rural Radnorshire and also Breconshire.

Properties served by the crossing include Tyddu Farm, the Heart of Wales Riding School, Tyddu Bungalow, Ty Shanti and Tyddu Caravan, all coming under the LD1 5TB post code.

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“It’s good news as we have been looking for an upgrade on safety for nearly 30 years,” said David Thomas, whose wife Billy runs the popular riding school.

“It has been a long, slow battle to get the safety improved on the crossing. Network Rail have always argued that no improved safety was necessary. However, there have always been occasional incidents where the train drivers report that a car has crossed when they are approaching the crossing.

“Telephones were installed in the early 2000s but as no-one knows where a train is in the section (Knighton to Llandrindod Wells, approximately 35 minutes). If I rang up I would not be allowed to cross if a train was in the section, until the train had passed.

“Who is going to wait 25 minutes for a train? So we had a meeting with Network Rail and the Office of Rail and Road (ORR) and they agreed that cars need not use the phones. But long or slow-moving vehicles should."

Power Operated Gate Opener (POGO) gates were installed around 2018, which meant that pressing a button on one side opened both gates and a button on the other side closed both gates. This meant that only one crossing of the line took place by car and no pedestrian crossings. However, they caused problems on some crossings and after a review they were uninstalled on all crossings on the network."

"Many of these [miniature warning lights] have been installed over the network in the last 18 months and ours is the first on the Mid Wales line. We still have to open and close the gates but this is a definite improvement for safety and a very considerable relief for myself. 

County Times: Dolau is one of the most picturesque stops on the Heart of Wales Line Dolau is one of the most picturesque stops on the Heart of Wales Line (Image: None)

“Network Rail had always placed the safety of user worked level crossings on the authorised person. I have always argued that safety is the primary responsibility of Network Rail. Thankfully the ORR has now taken the same view."

The Heart of Wales Line is a spectacular rural railway travelling through the centre of mid and south Powys, between Swansea and Shrewsbury. Its scenic Powys stops include Bucknell, Knighton, Knucklas, Llangunllo, Llanbister Road, Dolau, Penybont, Llandrindod Wells, Builth Road, Cilmeri, Garth, Llangammarch Wells and Llanwrtyd Wells.

The seven-days-a-week train service is operated by Transport for Wales and is much loved by day trippers, cyclists and walkers, who hop aboard to view the spectacular scenery and explore walking and cycling routes along the Offa’s Dyke Path and Glyndwr’s Way, Wye Valley Walk, Cambrian Mountains and Brecon Beacons.

The line also provides a vital transport link for lively rural communities and towns across Mid Wales and the Borders.

The Heart of Wales Line links to major and urban routes across the UK network via Crewe, Shrewsbury, Craven Arms, Llanelli, Swansea and Cardiff.

Network Rail and Transport for Wales have been approached for comment.

David added: “Network Rail has invested around £150,000 as far as I can find out, and we are asking the Network Rail level crossing manager and our local councillor to open the new system in the near future.

“At the present time the rail operator has no trains available to run on the line as they are in for repair. Hopefully they will have some soon.”